Day 43 - Wednesday 20th February
A duller start to the day today with rain forecast for Thursday. We took a trip back 30 miles down the road to the Joshua Tree National Park. The park is massive so we just headed for the visitors centre on the South side. Once again our old “America The Beautiful” pass gave us free entry & we took the advice of a Park Ranger to head down to a palm oasis & old mining area.
Great advice the palm trees at the little oasis were huge & hairy & set in a gully between high hills. From the oasis we took a hike up...

Our drive from Bakersfield to 29 Palms, California was very long and OH SO boring but neurotic at the same time. The extreme high winds through the High Desert Hwy. were super strong which made for a white knuckle drive. After leaving the busy section of Bakersfield we chose (or at least our GPS decided for us) Hwy's 395, 18, 247 then onto #62 which took us approx. 130 miles thru extreme high winds and absolutely NOTHING but cacti and tumbleweeds.
It was actually quite a beautiful drive, but come on California do something with your road...

After a leisurely 10am departure it was a nice ride thru the high desert countryside to our next stop. We are now in the middle of USMC land. Groups of young men running around in groups singing weird songs, hollering a lot of whowaas all the time, watching a single man intently, obeying his every word. ah to be young again, the few, the proud, the brave as they say. Checked in, set up, met the neighbors all around. Viewed the weeks activities, dip in the pool & hot tub, sauna closed unfortunately. Weather definitely nbicer here, as the...

Today we spent the afternoon at Joshua Tree National Park. The trees are located in the Mojave Desert. Actually they are not a tree but a species of yucca. Like other desert plants, its waxy,spiney leaves expose little surface area, efficiently conserving moisture. A Joshua tree can grow over 40 ft tall-at a leisurely rate of an inch a year.Its clusters of cream colored flowers bloom Febuary through April (we are just a little early) The Joshua Tree flower is a member of the Lilly family and is related to the Easter Lilly. There were also...

We crossed the CALIFORNIA state line today! Still driving thru a lot of barren desert land but still very captivating. Tomorrow we plan to explore Joshua Tree National Park. Going out for pizza tonight,then grocery shopping.This RV park has an indoor pool and hot tub so I am sure we will end up there tonight! Love to everyone

Twentynine Palms (also known as 29 Palms) is a city in San Bernardino County, California. It was previously called Twenty-Nine Palms. The city is located in the Mojave Desert in Southern California. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 59.1 square miles, all land. The city is at an elevation of 1,988 feet.
The Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms is located there and was founded in 1952.
Ooh Rah!
Enjoy Tyler!...

We started today’s trip on US 60, but at Hope, AZ we headed due west on AZ 62. We had a surprise when we got to Bouse, AZ. There was a military memorial along the highway with an M60 Patton tank and a self-propelled howitzer. I did a loop around the block so we could stop to see what it was about. In addition to the armored vehicles, there is a row of monuments that are dedicated to each of the units that made up the 9th Tank Group. The memorial tells the story of Camp Bouse that was located about 20 miles north of Bouse. It was one of 12...

We spent part of the afternoon touring Santa Barbara's Botanical Garden. One of the "perks" for renting this house is that we have our own private gate into the garden. The owner's wife has done a series of tile mosaics in the garden, several of which provide the base for "Grammy's Bench." The bench is high above a large wildflower meadow, which is presently in full bloom. California Poppies, Wild Mustard, and West Coast Lupines comprise the meadow and are putting on quite a show. The park is also studded with huge old oak trees, all with...

We arrived in Santa Barbara on a sunny afternoon, after a somewhat hectic drive across the state. Even on a Sunday, traffic was major as we came across; but the house we rented in the Mission Canyon district made the drive worthwhile. The house and yard are beautiful! As you can see, it's a modern structure, with a lot of skylights and windows to let in the outdoors. And the yard is to die for, complete with a natural waterfall and koi pond. The yard is filled with beautiful stone work and sculpture. We even have a resident duck who flies...

We spent the day exploring Joshua Tree National Park, which, in terms of vegetation and geology, is a very interesting place. As usual, the Visitors' Center was our first stop. The center is at a much lower elevation than the rest of the park and is situated in what is called the Oasis of Mara. The name (meaning "little springs and much grass") comes from the Serrano peoples, who were the first inhabitants. A thousand years ago, this land was filled with many underground springs and extensive grasslands. The Indians also liked the area...